Page 19 of Aleko
“If Luca was right, she was imprisoned by her lover,” said Trevor. “Maybe she won’t hurt another girl?”
“OK,” said Lia, wracking her mind for what she could say. “Um… OK.”
She pushed herself to her feet and took a few stumbling steps toward the woman.
“Siste, vade!”she called out.
The woman, or whatever she was now, spun and looked at Lia. Behind her, she could see Alekos and the other man climbing out of the wreckage of crates.
“Who are you?” demanded the woman. Then seemed to examine her more closely. “What are you?”
“I am the translator,” said Lia, for lack of anything better to say.
“For who?” The dead body demanded.
“For you?” offered Lia.
“I don’t need a translator,” she said. The light emanating from her had dimmed for a moment, but at this declaration, it surged again, and she turned back toward Alekos and his friend. Anyone else who was alive appeared to have fled. Colin and Trevor were sidling along the wall toward Alekos.
“They don’t understand you,” said Lia urgently. “They don’t know who you are or what you’re saying.”
“Then why do they attack me?”
“You kind of flew through the air and killed the woman you’re… wearing,” said Lia.
The woman looked down at herself and then around the cavern of the warehouse.
“What land is this?”
“Greece,” said Lia.
“Where is Adda?”
“I don’t know an Adda,” said Lia shaking her head.
“My lover. He imprisoned me and stole my talisman.” She looked down and saw the clay tablets. “These are his spells.”
“The woman,” Lia gestured awkwardly at the body, “she started to read the spell. The tablets were being sold to…” Lia looked around and pointed to the sheik’s body. “That man.”
“Sold?” The woman sounded affronted, although her face remained blank. Lia got the feeling that whoever was wearing the body wasn’t quite in control of all the minute muscles required to make facial expressions. She looked around at the others and then back at Lia. “These are not Adda’s minions?”
“Um… no. I don’t think so.”
“What is she saying?” demanded Alekos, stepping cautiously forward. His crowbar wasn’t raised, but it wasn’t exactly down. His forearm muscles bunched and stretched as he shifted his grip on it.
“She was under the impression that you work for Adda, the man who imprisoned her. I am assuring her that you do not.”
“Bloody oath we don’t,” said Colin, his voice echoing in the warehouse.
The woman looked around again, this time managing a frown.
“Where is my talisman?” she demanded.
“I don’t know. What does your talisman look like?” asked Lia. She didn’t intend to help look for it, but she thought if she kept the woman talking, it might keep her from killing more people.
“It is a gold and lapis symbol of Isis. It allows me tocorporealize.”
“What does she say now?” growled Alekos, prowling closer to Lia. She couldn’t decide if that made her feel safer or not. He seemed to pulse with an intensity that nearly matched the being in front of them. Lia repressed the urge to hide behind him. He probably wasn’t any safer than the woman. Well, maybe a little. At least he was alive.
